Niall McNamee hailed the spirit and togetherness of Rhode after winning his 11th Offaly club title on Sunday, the victory allowing the village to rejoice after the "sadness" of jockey Pat Smullen's passing.
The nine-time Irish champion died last month aged 43 having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2018. Hundreds lined the streets of Rhode for Smullen's funeral.
In such difficult times for the area, Rhode's win against Tullamore in miserable conditions at Bord na Móna O'Connor Park provided a welcome and timely lift.
"Just for the village itself, it's been a sad couple of weeks," McNamee told RTÉ's Sunday Sport.
"There was a lot of sadness in the village a couple of weeks ago with Pat Smullen passing away. You seen the whole village lining the streets for miles. It's a special place to be from.
"We always know, we feel it, it's all part of who we are. It's a deep feeling there within the club. It's just great to get over the line."
Rhode had to get through a major injury-time scare to seal their 30th title, with Tullamore having what would have been a match-winning goal chalked off for a foul.
The final whistle was greeted with elation and relief.
"It's tough," added McNamee. "We've been knocking on the door for a couple of years. It's very, very hard to keep coming back year in year out when every team in Offaly is challenging every year trying to push on.
"It was a tough year this year with everything that went on but we trained supremely hard. During lockdown we did a lot of online stuff as well, kept the show on the road. It's just sensational to be able to get over the line. To be able to get the job done, we're thrilled with it.
"We're only a small little village. We're probably punching above our weight in lots of ways in terms of the pick that we have. In fairness we don't lose anybody. Everybody plays, everybody commits every year.
"We've serious commitment from everybody."
